This week I have two highlights for you to check out while you make your live music weekend to-do list. We’re stopping by Mackinaw Valley Winery for a recent show from Revel in Red, and taking a look at one of my favorite concert backdrops in the Peoria area: the Murray Baker Bridge.
Revel in Red has built a following by taking songs we already know and love and using their high energy to magnetically pull us all to the dance floor. But this summer, something else has been happening. They’re adding their own original music to the mix.
One of the best parts about that is how good the originals fit into the show. They slide right into a set full of familiar favorites and sound like they belong there. It’s really fun to see a band we’ve known for years, made up of musicians many of you have known for decades, continue to evolve, especially when that next step is creating music that’s completely their own.
Our second highlight comes from a bunch of different shows over the years, all with one thing in common: the Murray Baker Bridge.
If you’ve been to a concert at CEFCU Center Stage at the Landing, you know the view. There’s something pretty spectacular about seeing a band on stage with the bridge rising behind them, especially after dark when the lights come on. We’ve taken a LOT of photos there over the years, and one of the things I love the most about some of my favorites is that they could only have been taken in Peoria.
I’m excited about what a permanent amphitheater could mean for live music in Peoria. But I’ve also been keeping my fingers crossed that as the plans are finalized, there might still be a way to preserve this view. The current design would put the new amphitheater on the other side of the bridge, with the audience facing away from it, meaning we’d lose the Murray Baker Bridge as the backdrop behind performers.
Stone Cold Cowboys - June 2024
I know I’m a little biased as a photographer, but I’d hate to lose something that makes our riverfront concert photos so unmistakably Peoria.
Enjoy a few of those bridge views, a little Revel in Red, and then keep scrolling to see the list of live music shows that we know about in the Peoria area this weekend!
FRIDAY 9/18
James Herr w/ Sarah Marie Dillard at Michael's Italian Feast 6-9pm (Germantown Hills)
Dan Hubbard at Wildlife Prairie Park 6-9pm
Harmony Grit of IL at CIRT 6:30pm (305 Neumann Drive - East Peoria)
Sista and The Misters at Canton Friendship Festival 7pm-10pm (Canton)
Kollusion at Oz'z Bar & Grill 7-11pm
Ryan Massey at Refuel 7pm (Hanna City)
The Killer Riffs at Industry Brewing 7pm
AJ Schmall at Rosie's Wine Bar 7-9pm (Peoria Heights)
New Cats at The Groove 7-10pm (Fairview)
Devin C. Williams (7pm) and Kickapoo Junction (8pm) at the Morton Pumpkin Festival
Joel Honey at Office on Main 8pm (Morton)
Old Shoe wsg Sunshine Daydream at Friendly Valley Tavern 8pm
2nd Chance at Tin Lizard 8-11pm
bridge photos from the peoria riverfront!
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SATURDAY 9/19
Shawn "Smitty" Smith and Lilianna Fehr at Peoria Riverfront Market 8am-12pm
Taproot Wranglers at The Vault at Reserve Artisan Ales 12-3pm (Galesburg)
Rhythm & Ace Acoustics at Backwoods 4-6pm (Goodfield)
Clusterpuck and New Cats at Evergreen Farm Brewing 6pm (Metamora)
Blo-No Boogie Band at The Bowling Alley 6pm (Eureka)
Peoria Rock "N" Roll Reunion 2026 at Oz'z Bar & Grill 6pm (Creve Coeur)
Gulliver
Winter Harvest
Lay-Z Screams
The Hollywoods
Ready Steady Go
Actual Proof
Kickapoo Junction at Riverfront Bar & Grill 7pm
Phat Kitti at Big Catz BBQ 7pm (Knoxville)
Lonesome Jones at Gilmore's Sports Bar 7-10pm
The Oak Ridge Boys at Five Points Washington 7pm
Easy Riders at Office on Main at 8pm
lespecial wsg COFRESI at Friendly Valley Tavern 8pm
Neon Nova at Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Concert Series (Peoria Heights) 8-11pm
Pure Grain at Whiskerz Pub 8pm (Lacon)
Mixtape Mayhem at Whitey's On 29 8pm (Creve Coeur)
The Killer Riffs at The Silver Dollar 8pm (Peoria Heights)
Cousin Eddie at Oliver's in the Heights 8-11pm
West MacQueen Street Band at Tin Lizard 8-11pm (East Peoria)
Sly Dog Acoustic Duo at Country Saloon 8-11pm (East Peoria)
Stereo Typical at The Thirsty Barrel 8-11pm (Mason City)
Balderdash at Opie's 116 8pm (Roanoke)
Whiskey Ridge at The Corral 8pm-12am (Galesburg)
Dexter O' Neal & Funkyard at The Neon Bison 9pm
Lee Ross wsg Drunken Doja Monkey at Kenny’s Westside 11pm
HERE are all the revel in red photos!
SUNDAY 9/20
Sista and The Misters at Psycho Silo Saloon 1pm (Langley)
Songwriters in The Round at Tres Rojas Winery 1-4pm
James Herr Acoustic
Dennis Glavin
Taisy May
Noah Huttoni
Michael Uhler
Sly Dog Acoustics Duo at The Thirsty Barrel 3-6pm (Mason City)
The Killer Riffs at Chillicothe American Legion 3pm
Galactic Empress at Jack's Pizza Tavern 3-5pm (Bartonville)
Blue Ridge Community Farm 2026 Hillside Kickoff 3-6pm
Chicago Farmer
Still Shine
Roundstone Buskers
Nathan Taylor Band at Trailside Event Center 6-8:30pm (Peoria Heights)
SUNDAY OPEN STAGES THIS WEEK
Peoria Rhythm Kings at Countyline Tap 2-5pm
Roy Ponce hosting at Tartan Inn 7-11pm
This week’s post contains contributions from:
Kindall Reuschel, Bennett Rose, & Vesper Goldman
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